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It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, the traditional kickoff of our holiday season.
Our national day of giving thanks dates back to 1621 in Massachusetts, where we believe the Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated a successful harvest with food and festivities.
Given our economic situation, some in modern-day America may find it difficult to give thanks, but we still have much to be thankful for – health and family and freedom, to name a few.

There’s plenty of activities here to honor Veterans Day in Lancaster.
It should be.
Veterans Day is the time our nation, from Main Street, USA to Washington and across our county, to salute military veterans.
The federal holiday is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world and falls on Nov. 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.

Halloween, sometimes known as Fright Night, is tomorrow. To make sure the night is truly not a scary ordeal, be sure that safety is part of the plans for the night.
The night belongs to youngsters and safety should be observed with the little ones in mind. Before they head out, there are certain situations to consider.

O ne in eight. That’s the likelihood of a woman in the United States getting invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, according to BreastCancer.org. That is an alarming statistic. All of us know someone who has breast cancer – be it a family member, friend or acquaintance.
On Sunday, we introduced you to Jan Hicks – a two-time breast cancer survivor. As a registered nurse and case manager for Springs Memorial Hospital, Hicks is all too familiar with cancer’s impact on those diagnosed with the devastating disease and their loved ones.

The recent Lancaster County Board of Zoning Appeals vote to overturn the county decision on the nonconforming-use status of Thomas Concrete left us scratching our heads.
What looked like a simple case of a plant losing its grandfathered status, and thus its right to operate, got a lot more complicated at the Oct. 11 BZA hearing.

It has been a whale of a season for Lancaster High School junior swimmer Jory Pettit.
Pettit capped the 2011 swim campaign with an individual state crown in the 50-yard freestyle at the recent Class AAAA state swim meet.
Pettit brilliantly topped a tough field, edging Byrnes High School’s Alex Wood by a slim margin.
Pettit’s winning 21.47 was the result of a fast finish. Wood, who won the 100-yard freestyle state crown, was a close second in 21.61.

If you travel early mornings on White Street during the work week, you can see them. Dawn has barely faded and they’re already lined up, waiting for the doors to open to the S.C. Employment Security Commission.

Chronic and increasing unemployment. Home foreclosures. Loss of health insurance. More homeless families. All of these factors paint a bleak economic picture. But this is not a startling revelation. We’re all fully aware of our economic conditions. But some recently released data does reveal some startling statistics.
According to the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the U.S. Census, the economy is having a negative impact on the most vulnerable of society – children.

If you have the misfortune of experiencing a life-threatening ordeal like a heart attack or stroke, you do have the good fortune of having a quality hospital nearby to help save your life.
Doug Arbour, chief executive officer of Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster, is living proof.
On a night in mid-May, Arbour awoke with what he thought was indigestion.
It wasn’t. It was worse, much worse. In this case a massive heart attack.

The town of Kershaw has taken the first step on the trail.
The trail, in this case, is the Carolina Thread Trail, which will feature greenways and other natural sites throughout 15 counties in the Carolinas.
Kershaw and other area entities have pledged their support in theory, but Kershaw’s latest backing of the master plan means the chance for funding that will go for the creation, or enhancement of pathways here.
In this day of “going green,” it’s a natural move now and for our future.